RIFF-FRAGMENT FROM THAT GOOD OL' BOOK REVIEW

Yesterday, I sat with Michael and taught him the elements of the book review. It's a good exercise in his acquisition of a new language. We reviewed two of the Narnia books that he's finished (since he's arrived home at Galatea, he has been obliged to read a minimum of three pages a day, and often reads much more than three pages -- great, since at least it looks like we achieved our goal to raise a reader).

Anyway, guess what was the most difficult part of the reviewing process for him? Yep -- the same thing I notice as an editor of a (poetry) review journal. The inclusion of his personal (emotional) response to the book.

It's tough to raise children with being comfortable at expressing their emotions without making them fragile to negative external elements. It's tough for adults to balance emotion-sharing with, uh, other things....I can't even be particularly articulate about this -- it's such an old story.

Off for a cuppa java.